Toddler parents training, understanding, and perceptions of CPR

Little is known about parent CPR skills and their perceptions of its use, especially in the context of drowning incidents among young children where parents are often the first responder. The primary objective of the study was to examine parental understanding of child and adult CPR, extent of CPR training, and parental confidence to perform CPR.

Survey research using a self-complete questionnaire was used to gather data from parents (n = 1716) whose 2-4-year-old toddlers were either attending early childhood centres (n = 781) or enrolled in swim schools (n = 935). Differences in parental CPR training, knowledge, levels of confidence in ability to perform CPR, and perceptions were measured by frequency, with regression tests used to discern differences by institution, gender, ethnicity, length of residency, and recency of CPR training.

Almost two-thirds (64%) of parents reported that they had received formal CPR training in the past, yet few correctly reported the current ratios for either adult CPR (19%) or child CPR (12%). Most parents correctly agreed that, in child CPR, you must always give initial breaths before starting compressions (74%), but the majority incorrectly believed you should seek help before starting CPR (61%) and continue CPR for 5 min before stopping (59%). Most parents (56%) felt anxious about their ability to perform CPR on an adult, and even more (62%) felt anxious about their ability to perform child CPR.

Our findings highlight the need for education interventions to address the substantial gaps in knowledge of CPR for all parents of young children.